Guardian
by Lady Thetford
Summary: Being one of the most powerful clans of their breed, the Furemuai clan have always been in a position of great power and influence. When war breaks out between the Saiyans and the Cold clan, they are forced to choose sides. In order to keep peace between the Icejin and the Furemuai, King Cold demands the ultimate sacrifice; their heir.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, I must say, its been far, far too long since I wrote or posted anything on here, so here is the first chapter that I started a long time ago, but have 'tidied up' recently. There is a second written, so this gets a reasonable response, I'll post it.**

 _Being one of the three most powerful clans of their breed, the Furemuai clan have always been in a position of great power and influence. When war breaks out between the Saiyans and the Cold clan, they are forced to choose sides. In order to keep peace, King Cold demands the ultimate sacrifice from the Furemuai clan._

 _Rating based on language and future scenes._

 **Chapter One – Between a rock and a hard place**

 _The best weapon against an enemy is another enemy._

 _\- Friedrich Nietzsche_

"Kenta! Kenta! Wake up!" the small dark haired girl shook her older brother by the arm as she jumped on the bed. "Kenta! The meteor shower is starting! We need to watch it!"

The sleeping figure groaned and opened one violet eye to look up at the young girl.

"Hitomi , the meteor shower goes on for two days..."

"I know! But the first ones are always the best!" the young girl squealed.

"Fine."

The small girl ran down the marble hallways, slipping slightly on the floor with her older sibling close in her wake, yawning as he went.

The female slipped on the floor and scrambled to get back onto her feet, hasty to get outside.

"Hitomi " Kenta groaned as he lifted her up onto his shoulders " _must_ you see the meteor shower tonight? You do know you have training in the morning right?"

The young girl nodded furiously, but never the less pointed toward the front door, determined to see the all important meteor shower.

As the pair walked out into the large family estate they both looked up in unison just in time to see the first bead of light fly across the sky.

Hitomi giggled and clambered down from her brothers shoulders, sprinting into the tall grass ahead of her, all the while transfixed on the sky above her.

The two stood side by side staring up at the sky as time crept by. It was only when the sun began to rise, and their view of the shower begun to fade that they realised they had been out for hours.

"Come on Hitomi , we have training soon, best get some sleep" Kenta picked the small girl up onto his shoulders and the two made their way home.

\- Page break -

The air was hot and thick in her chest as she greedily gasped it in. Her trainer had been sparing with her for hours, and neither of them seemed to be gaining ground over the other, but both were exhausted.

She had come a long way from her training with her elder brother, Kenta, and was beginning to surpass even the most advanced of combat trainers. The rare trait, unique to her blood line had made its self apparent a few years previous, making her the first possessor in years.

The down side was, being the first possessor of the trait in so long, there was no one around to give the proper training and guidance. Whilst she could activate the trait easy enough, maintaining it in combat was a struggle.

She jumped backwards, twisting her lean body in the air she flipped backwards reaching a hand towards the blade she kept at her hip. She unsheathed the blade before she landed squarely on her feet, holding it in front of her defensively she glared at her tutor, her silver eyes boring into his. She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes, willing her mind to relax and clear she felt a calm fall over me. She slowly opened her eyes once more and her tutor smiled at the blood red ring that circled her iris, leaving the silver band of her usual colouring around the outer edge.

As pleased as he was that she was starting to gain more and more control,she knew he found it extremely unnerving to hold her gaze when she had the bloodline trait activated to its full potential. It was like she could see _into_ him, into his very soul. Her eyes were inescapable. Perhaps even more terrifying for him, they both knew this was a much more basic level of the Furemuai trait.

She smirked ever so slights as she watched her tutor re-centre his Ki. He was preparing for an attack, but what? She watched as the glowing blue light rearranged itself within his body, gathering in his palms, it seemed to change substance. _So that's it..._

She allowed her own Ki to flow freely around her body, undetectable to anyone but herself. She knew the attack he was readying himself for, but how to block it?

Masaru raised hit hand straight up, his palm parallel with the ceiling, and started to gather his Ki. She smiled, his Ki would now be visible to anyone as it pulsated in his palm. More over, she has decided how she would counter his attack.

Masaru threw his palm into the ground with a yell and I watched his Ki release from his hand into the earth, creating shock waves within the hard ground that sped towards her. She narrowed her eyes ever so slightly as she calculated exactly how much Ki she would need.

This was a low level attack, disguised as a much higher power attack, she didn't need to exert much energy to block this one. She slowly placed her palm dead ahead and allowed a little of her own Ki to leak forward from her hands, like liquid it fell like a waterfall before her, solidifying into a glowing wall of Ki. The blast hit the wall a second later and split apart, disappearing almost immediately.

"Your doing well Hitomi , with more practice you'll be at the next level in no time"

She smiled dryly. There was no guarantee that she would ever reach the second level of the Furemuai trait. Many of her kind couldn't even reach the first level as it was so rare, let alone the second. Her tutors however seemed adamant that she would follow in the footsteps of her ancestors generations before her.

She looked towards the door, with her tutor following her gaze. There was nothing there., but she didn't break her gaze, she didn't waiver at all. "Kenta is coming," she murmured, "something is wrong..."

She narrowed her red and silver eyes, she could see, no, sense Kenta coming. His Ki was all to familiar to her, even when he had it suppressed like he did now. Hidden to all but her.

No one could see the Ki signature of her kind when it was suppressed, and it was one of her favourite aspects of the Furemuai trait. No one could hide from her, she could see Ki as it moved around others body, a glowing, living energy source, through which she could see emotion and intent. Sadly the emotion Kenta was displaying was not a positive one, and this worried her. Her skills were not yet developed enough to delve any further. Nevertheless, when her big brother was worried, she was worried.

A few moments later Kenta wondered into the room, his face stony and unreadable, he didn't make eye contact with her, as he walked straight to their tutor.

"Hotaka, I need a word with you" Kenta glanced over at her again nervously, "its urgent."

"Kenta?" Her half question hung in the air, only to be met by silence.

Hotaka glanced once at her before nodding swiftly and exiting the training arena, through the door that Kenta had entered only moments ago.

She waited a moment, and then followed swiftly, masking her Ki levels as she went. She was practically running on her tiptoes as she rounded the corner to see Kenta and Hotaka stood talking. She halted quickly and dived silently back behind the corner and listened intently.

"So let me just get this straight, the Cold's have declared war on the Saiyans?" Hotaka asked, his voice laced with concern, "and the Saiyans want us to back them?"

Kenta nodded once, his brows furrowed

She bit her lip, this wasn't good news... even if their race teamed up with the Saiyans, they couldn't _possibly_ win against the Cold's. Many of their race were not born to be fighters, with their incomparable vision and sensory skills for Ki, they made far better spies than they did warriors...

"I need to speak with your father about this..." Hotaka uttered. She heard him turn and his heavy footsteps walk away.

"Hitomi , I know you're there..." Kenta mumbled making her heart jump, "how..." she asked from behind the corner.

"You can't sense my Ki.."

"You walk really loudly."

Kenta interrupted. She grimaced and slunk around the corner to meet her brother who was smiling wryly.

"Does this mean you'll be sent to fight?" she asked, her shinning eyes searching her brothers.

"You can't be the only one to go, if you go, I..."

"No."

She stared up at her brother, her eyes burning with tears that she refused to let fall.

"No Hitomi . You need to stay where its safe. I'll speak to father, he can't let you go."

She shook her head as her brother turned away, striding down the vast corridors. She growled lowly under her breath and took off after him, her eyes returning to their silver colouring.

\- Page break -

"Father no!" she shouted in frustration, "you can't be serious?! What was the point of all my training if your going to make me stay here?" a pressure was building in her chest.

Her eyes were burning and her clenched fists shaking. _How could he?_ How could he deny her the right to fight along side her brother, her comrades. Her skills far exceeded that of her classmates, and yet _they_ were allowed to go and _she_ wasn't?

"Hitomi , this is not open to further negotiation. You will stay here" Her fathers voice was stern.

"But... but father... you can't..."

"Hitomi !" he stood to his full height and stepped toward her, making her flinch momentarily. They stared at each other for a few moments before she turned and walked away, taking one last glance over her shoulder to look at her father and brother, she felt like she was going to cry. But she didn't. She refused.

She wandered out in the main hall, a vast white marble and gold room, with steep vaulted ceilings. Glowing crystals floated in a downward spiral from the centre of the ceiling, providing a bright light. She marched up the white marble stairs, her hand skinning the golden banister as she went.

She wandered idly towards her living quarters. Placing her hand on the pad next to the door, it scanned her slender fingers once before the door slid open.

When she stepped into the room the first thing she did was rip off her chest armour and throw it in the floor. She was fuming. It wasn't fair. What's more, she had been given absolutely no explanation. It was customary for _all_ members of the clan who had any fighting power to provide aid in battle.

She threw her wrist guards off next stared at herself in the full length mirror on the opposite end of the room. Her long dark hair fell haphazardly around her shoulders, falling almost to her waist. It was tangled from the training earlier.

Her eyes were their usual silver colour, framed by long dark lashes. She was quite a small frame, but of reasonable height. She growled lowly, her fang like teeth bared.

She turned around and threw herself face first onto the bed, growling into her pillow. _This isn't fair, this isn't fair, this isn't fair..._ the words spun round her head over and over again.

\- Page break -

"Hitomi ! Hitomi you need to get up now!"

She blinked her eyes open sleepily and saw her brother standing above her. She groggily turned her head to look at the large windows on the far side of the room, She'd left the curtains open, and could see the night sky outside. What the hell was Kenta doing waking her up in the middle of the night?

"What the hell do you want?" she groaned covering her eyes with the back of her hand.

"You need to get up, the Colds are here" Kenta whispered franticly.

She felt her blood run cold. She sat bolt upright, turning to look into her brothers eyes, panic reflected back at her and her heart began to pound in her chest. "Wha... what?"

She hissed, her voice horse.

"Get dressed and come down stairs, they have requested an audience with the clan leaders..." she stared, her eyes wide and her jaw dropped as Kenta hurried towards her door.

"Oh and Hitomi ," he muttered as he reached the door, turning back to look at her, "don't wear your amour, don't wear anything of the sort... please?"

She didn't get a chance to protest, or a change to point out that it was _customary_ for anyone who can fight, to show this in their dress during any kind of conference. Their customs seem to be going out the window at the moment when it comes to her...

She kicked her blanket off of her and sprang up, despite her irritation at Kenta's instruction she knew it best to listen. She knew he must have a reason. Or at last he better had...

\- Page break -

She ran swiftly down stairs and into the main assembly hall, running a brush through her long black hair as she went. Trying to pick out clothing that was _not_ armour had been somewhat of a challenge. She hadn't realised before quite how much of her wardrobe was battle ready...

Nevertheless, she had found a long sleeve dress, in black with silver stitching on the wrists, chest and hem, hidden away at the back of the wardrobe. She was sure she had worn it to some event, and then discarded it immediately afterwards.

She made her way back down the main staircase slowly, her stomach clenched tightly. She took a deep breath in, and closed her eyes, focusing hard. She opened her eyes slowly as the red ring appeared within them, she had moved into stage two. They were already here, in the main reception room. It was as though she could see the glowing, intricate pattern of their Ki within their bodies.

Her eyes scanned slowly over each figure, Kenta, father, Masaru, the rest she didn't know. There were three of them, one extremely large, she narrowed her eyes, _jeez, he's over ten foot! He must be..._

The other two were tall too, but no where near as much, one must be around 7 foot tall, while the other was a little shorter. She could see already that even in their rested state that they were all incredibly powerful. King Cold especially. She could see his Ki rushing around his body, ready for use at any given moment.

As she got to the large door she blinked, returning her eyes to silver, her hand hovering over the golden handle. She drew in a sharp breath and relaxed her face into an expressionless mask, and pushed the door open.

All eyes turned to her as she entered, she paid no mind and strode to her fathers throne, sitting on her knees in the spot to his left, mirroring her brother on the other side. Masaru, her trainer and uncle was stood alongside her.

She started at the three Icejins in front of her, King Cold was such a well known figure that he needed no introduction, his pale purple skin, with large black horns protruding from his head were more than recognisable. He wore what I understand to be his usual attire, thick white helmet with a massive blue green gem on the front, taking up the majority of what would be his forehead. His black and gold armour with massive shoulder plates, held a deep burgundy cloak that swept to the floor. He wore nothing on his legs other than shin pads that matched the rest of his armour, atop his three bare toes.

The other two however, she didn't know. She was aware that King Cold had two sons, but she wasn't sure that's who his companions are. They were both Icejin, one with pale blue skin, wearing the conventional armour, in usual colouring. She'd clocked on the stairs that he was the weaker of the three.

The third she turned her calculating metallic eyes to last, he was the one who worried her the most. Even more than King Cold. If that were possible. His Ki was incredible, which was worrying enough in itself, but it reeked of anger and hate. At least King Cold seemed somewhat rational. His skin was a dark grey, his blood red eyes a stark contrast to his tone. His fangs were bared, they appeared to be longer and sharper than was typical for his kind. His black armour glinted in the light with each breath he took. His black lips were curled into a sneer, an expression that did not look out of place on his sour face.

She was itching to move to stage two, to see more of his Ki, to dig deeper, but she knew better than to do such a thing. Masaru had always warned her not to use stage two in front of anyone, other than him, along with her father and brother of course.

She turned her eyes back to King Cold, not wanting to linger to much on the other two. He was the focal point after all.

"So," Cold Smirked, "I've received some rather interesting news from one of my scouts..." He trailed off, letting the sentence hang in the air. His clenched fist moved upwards towards his face, and he smirked as he rested his chin on it.

"No guesses to what? Well that's a shame." He chuckled to himself, as if this was all some kind of hilarious joke.

"Fine, fine, lets not play. I hear the Saiyans have been in contact with your clan."

Her eyes widened and her felt her jaw clench. It wasn't a question. He knew. He knew the Saiyans had called on their clan for help. They probably weren't the only ones of their kind they'd contacted. She wondered how many other clans King Cold has visited?

"They have." Her father retorted.

She turned to look at him, he wore a smooth, unreadable expression on his face as he stared directly at Cold.

"We are yet to respond to their request."

King Cold cocked is head slightly to the side and smirked again. "And what... do you intend to tell them?"

A deafening silence hung in the air. Her jaw clenched even harder, beginning to ache. She threw a sideways glance at her father, who wore more or less the same expression as her. _What do we intend to tell them?_ Regardless of any earlier intentions there may have been, they are somewhat stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"We have not yet discussed the matter at full council" her father responded curtly, "but I would imagine that the unanimous decision will be to stay out of the matter."

Her eyes flicked back to King Cold. Would he allow the, to stay out of it? She wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't. Not in the slightest.

His black lips curled up into a smile, "you believe it to be possible not to get involved?" Cold questioned, intrigued. "You believe that you can not get caught up in this?"

A cold shiver ran over her body as she stared at King Cold. He's right. If both wish for aid, can they really both be denied? She very much doubted they can stay uninvolved, but if they choose a side, who do we choose? Both the Ice-jins and the Saiyans are extremely powerful, and she honestly didn't know which of the two is superior.

"We will respond to you when a decision has been made at full council" her father declared curtly. "Once the council has voted, we shall proceed" _Proceed?!_ _He makes it sound like some kind of informal event?! Or a party?!_ Hitomi 's head whirled at one hundred miles an hour.

None the less, King Cold smiled widely, "that seems reasonable. I expect full council to be called first thing. Me and my men will return to our ship, and wait on your response."

King Cold smirked, and turned away, his cloak catching the air as he walked. The other two Ice-jin followed close at his heels.

He stopped at the large doors and turned his head to face them "I'm sure you are aware of the seriousness of the situations. Your species skills in Ki manipulation are outstanding, you would be greatly welcomed into our army". With that, he turned and left, leaving all, including Hitomi 's father in stunned silence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – The wait**

 _It is a wise father that knows his own child - William Shakespeare_

She couldn't sleep that night. Try as she might, all Hitomi could do was toss and turn until the light of the two suns streamed through a crack in the curtains. Full council would be held today, and if they didn't make the right choice, their fate would be sealed.

Hitomi turned her head as her door creaked open silently. "Hitomi ?" Kenta whispered as he entered the room. "Are you awake?"

"Have been most of the night" she replied, her voice hushed mirroring his tone.

There was a strained silence between the two of them for a few seconds before Kenta spoke again. "I spoke to father, if things go wrong, you need to leave." She turned her eyes towards his stoic face. "What?" she hissed.

"You need to go." he repeated "they can't know, they can't find out the Furemuai trait is still active in the blood line. I... I don't know what they'll do. I don't know what will happen to you..." He looked up at her.

"Kenta..." She started, but he raised his hand, silencing her.

"Hitomi . You're my baby sister, its my job to protect you, and that's exactly what I'll do. I've made contact with some of the sister clans, just in case."

She couldn't get a word out, couldn't retort before Kenta stood, and left the room.

She stared at the door as she sat up, bringing her knees up to her chest she hugged her arms around them, her fingers twisting around each other nervously. She never understood why She was always treated differently... when did the change arise that her father suddenly decided I needed special treatment...? Her trail of though took a new path as a memory from her childhood clouded her mind...

– **PAGE BREAK -**

 _She shivered as she sat on the cold, surgical steel table. The man in the white coat in front of her shining a light into one eye, then the other. "Her sight is normal" he declared softly, turning his head slightly to look at her father stood in the corner. He picked up a small device and scanned her head with it, the blue light falling over her young features._

" _No swelling on the brain or eyes either..." he said puzzled._

 _The doctor stood back for a moment, giving her a perplexed look. "I can't see any reason for her to be hallucinating, there's nothing physical causing it." He stepped away from her and moved over to his book shelf, pulling down a few thick tomes and flicking through them._

" _Remind me again what she is seeing?" he questioned, throwing a glance at her father. "Light." he replied, "she thinks she can see weird light in people. It comes and it goes."_

 _The doctor raised a brow as rested on a page of one of the books. He twisted his mouth to the side in thought as he read._

" _Let me take a blood test. There's one more thing I'd like to rule out."_

 _Her father nodded once, and the physician made his way towards the child, needle and syringe in hand. He took a sample of her blood as gently as he could, holding a small piece of cotton wool to the tiny cut to stop it bleeding. He took her other hand and pressed her thumb against the cotton ball, instructing the young girl to hold it in place._

 _He moved slowly over to an old looking computer in the far corner of the room. Placing the sample into the machine. After he adjusted the settings he returned to my side, removing the cotton wool from her arm and applying a small plaster with a warm smile. He turned his head as the machine bleeped, and walked towards his monitor._

 _She saw his eyes narrow as he threw her a glance. He chucked his tongue on the roof of his mouth as he turned to look at the girls father._

" _Tell me," he questioned, "just how long has the Furemuai trait been inactive for in your clan?"_

 **\- PAGE BREAK -**

She chewed the side of her lip, that was the day when everything changed. _That_ is when her father, and brother had begun to treat her differently to everyone else. She was pulled out of combat classes, it took months of begging and pleading with her father before she was allowed to have one to one classes with her Uncle, who was of course informed of the test results.

Strict instruction was agreed between us that no one, was to ever find out that the Furemuai trait was active again. Her father didn't want anyone to know of her gift. She knew she would never understand why, they are part of the Furemuai clan for goodness sake! Surely, surely, they should be proud that the trait that makes them, _them_ is alive within their blood. But no, all it did was segregate Hitomi from her peers. _Pfft, it isn't a gift, its a curse._

She exhaled, calming Hershel and threw the covers off her body, padding towards her dressing room ahead. She flicked through a few dressed dresses, most of which she had always refused to wear before she finally came to rest on my chosen article of clothing. She pulled the black bodysuit off the hander and walked back into the bedroom, chucking it on the bed absent-mindedly she strode into the large marble bathroom joining to the room.

Once I was showered and clean she padded back into the room and pulled the black sleeveless body suit on, zipping up the front. She pulled on a pair of heavy duty black boots on over the top of her shins. Glancing in the mirror Hitomi noticed her hair was still soaked. Shifting her Ki out of her body she allowed it to heat up around her. The sudden change in temperature causing steam to rise from her hair as it fluffed up slightly. Once she was satisfied it was dry enough she left the room, spreading her Ki out of her body once again she let a small layer of it go further... _there he is_... she mused as she sensed Kenta a few floors down. She retracted her Ki back into her body and headed down the stairs to find him.

It didn't take long to find him, he was stood awkwardly outside the council chamber. He jumped as she approached, with her Ki completely masked, he hadn't sensed her coming. "They've been in there for hours..." He muttered as she drew level with him.

Her silver eyes glanced at the large, gold patterned door in concern. The decision made today would dictate their future, that much she was certain. Her eyes darted back and she stared over Kenta's shoulder. Her lips pressed into a thin line. He narrowed his own eyes and glanced behind him, seeing nothing he looked back at Hitomi , just in time to see the red ring form around her iris. She stared off into the wall, before she blinked slowly, her eyes back to normal when her eyes re-opened.

"We need to move it," She hissed, "Cold is on the move."

Kenta frowned, looking behind him once more, Hitomi knew he couldn't sense them yet, but nevertheless he nodded. "Lets sneak up to the viewing gallery," Hitomi whispered as she began springing in that direction, her pace hasty. Kenta sighed and followed not far behind his younger sister.

The council hall was massive. By far one of the grandest rooms in the building, everything was decorated in red and gold. The huge room swept up the entire height of the building, panels of red glass in the ceiling cast a reddish glow down into the room. Set back into the walls were small viewing balcony's, accessed from the upper corridors. These were typically for when open council was held, for lower members of the clan to observe the decision of the council first hand. These were strictly off limits at the moment, but Hitomi knew her Ki was naturally masked to a level that would not be detected. As long as Kenta could keep his low, they wouldn't be detected. While in close proximity she could mask it to some degree, but he'd need to put at least a little effort in himself.

As they walked Hitomi allowed her Ki to creep out of her body, as she placed her hand on Kenta's shoulder, allowing her energy to seep into him and intermingle within his own Ki network. Hitomi drew a long breath out and gently pushed his Ki down to match her own. As long as they were within a foot or so of each other, she would be able to keep his Ki matched to her own, thus he would remain undetected.

She smirked dryly to herself. Before, she had to maintain constant contact with someone to mask their Ki, but now, after a lot of work, she was able to have a tiny bit of freedom.

It didn't take long for the two of them to reach one of the lower viewing balconies. They both ducked down and crawled towards the edge of the balcony. It wasn't railing, but a low wall, which meant they couldn't be seen. On the downside it made seeing a little more tricky.

Hitomi took a slow breath, closing her eyes I allowed her mind to clear, making sure to keep her hold on Kenta's Ki level so as not to reveal him. After a few seconds she slowly opened her eyes, the red ring around her iris back, she could see the occupants of the chamber far more easily. Her eyes darted quickly around them all before she allowed her eyes to return to their normal silver.

"They all there?" Kenta whispered, watching Hitomi intently.

"Almost, Uncle isn't there," she hissed back under her breath.

This wasn't unusual. Despite being their fathers brother, Masaru would often skip out on council meetings. Hitomi was genuinely surprised he chose to skip this one though... her thoughts however were cut short when she felt his presence sprint into the room.

 _Ah, he's just late... again_. Hitomi thought to herself.

 _2 hours later..._

Hitomi rubbed her temples as she leant back against the wall of the balcony, Kenta by her side. This had gone on for _ages_. _Seriously, how much discussion can be had on one subject? No progress had been made it seemed, just arguments back and forth, for and against_. Her head was beginning to hurt from keeping Kenta's Ki hidden for so long, and from the glances he kept throwing her, he knew.

"We need to go," he whispered to her "your going to start wavering soon, if we get caught we'll be in deep shit".

She knew he was right. It was such a shame their kind couldn't hide their Ki from _each other._ Otherwise he'd just be able to mask himself.

"I want to listen," Hitomi whispered back, "I'll take you back out, then come back, they won't ever sense me."

Kenta wrinkled his nose and pulled a face. He clearly wasn't keen on the idea.

"I'll tell you what happens" She affirmed him. They both crawled from the balcony back into the corridor. Hitomi knew better than to release the hold she had over the Ki in Kenta's body so close, so they walked through the corridors to get some distance between them and the council hall.

Once she was satisfied they were a reasonable distance away she slowly let go of Kenta's Ki.

Once her own Ki returned into her body, she pressed her fingers to her forehead, her thumb and little finger each resting on her temples as her palm touched her nose. She felt hot. At the same time a cold sweat ran over her and she tried to take a step forward, shaking, Hitomi misplaced her footing, stumbling to regain balance.

"Hitomi !" A voice bubbled behind her, muffled as if underwater.

Hitomi tried to take another step, but her legs gave out under her. She didn't fall far before she felt someone catch her. She blinked away the nauseous feeling, but the haze was settling over her eyes. A black fog descended, obscuring her vision of anything.

She'd over done it again. She'd held onto Kenta's Ki longer than her body could take... _bugger..._

 **\- PAGE BREAK -**

Hitomi groaned as her blurred vision focused in on the red and gold above her. She blinked a couple of times before she recognised it as the canopy above her bed. She gripped her head as I sat up slowly. She was in my room, laying on top of the blanket of her four poster bed, Kenta by her side.

"You pushed yourself too far" Kenta berated her, frowning. Hitomi signed as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, but didn't go any further.

"Look on the bright side" she mumbled.

"That's the longest I've ever done that for"

Hitomi smirked at the frown Kenta pulled. He was worried. He was _always_ worried. He just couldn't get his head round the logic that, every time she pushed herself, she improved. Sure, she passed out every now and then, which was pretty rubbish to be fair, but it was a means to an end. It meant progress.

Kenta helped Hitomi up off the bed, helping her support her weight for the first few moments. "Council has finished" he advised her as we walked towards the door. "They be announcing the decision soon".

Hitomi gave a nervous sideways glance toward Kenta as they made our way towards the stairs to find out the result.

Hitomi paused at the top of the winding stairs, shaking her head to clear the last of the nausea. Kenta rested his hand on her shoulder and smiled warmly. "You sure your okay?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

"I'm fine," she affirmed, "lets just get this over with."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – The verdict**

 _We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us - E. M. Forster_

Hitomi and Kenta descended the marble stairs nervously. Hitomi clutched to her brothers arm for support as he stared stoically ahead. The pair stopped as they reached the large double doors to the throne room, Kenta throwing a glance at his sister.

"Are they...?" he trailed off, letting his question hang in the air. He never liked being the first to arrive. Obviously, he would know if Cold was there, but their Father and Uncle, he would never sense without the Furemuai.

Hitomi closed her eyes, clearing her mind she reopened her irises entrapped within the circle of red only for them to flicker back to silver seconds later.

Hitomi clutched her head, rubbing her temples as she looked apologetically at her older brother. "I pushed it too far earlier, I won't be able to activate it for a while... all my senses are knackered..." she grimaced as she started back at the door ahead of her. As she had grown stronger, she had become more and more accustomed to using her bloodline trait, so much so that she felt uncomfortable when she couldn't use it. She revealed in the fact that she could walk into a room, knowing exactly what she would find there. But now... now she was going in blind, and she hated it.

Kenta gave her a sympathetic smile, he knew too well how much she struggled when she couldn't 'see' clearly. He gripped her hand, giving it a final squeeze before he pushed the door open.

Hitomi let out the breath she had been unconsciously holding when they saw the room held her father and Uncle. The two stepped quickly to kneel in their respective places either side of their father, Kenta on the right, and Hitomi on the left. Hitomi glanced sideways at her father before focusing her silver eyes dead ahead, the large double doors for the use of guests were there. King Cold and his followers would come through that very door any moment.

Hitomi bit her lip as she stared, within her peripheral she could see Kenta watching her carefully. She threw a glance at him, her expression unemotional before her attention was drawn back to the door as it creaked open. Two guards in matching black armour entered, flanking King Cold and the same two Icejin he had brought with him before. Hitomi eyed the three of them nervously, her jaw clenched tightly.

King Cold smirked as he eyed them, his black lips distorting as he twisted them. Hitomi glanced at the being at his side, the dark skinned Icejin, staring murderously at her father. She narrowed her silver eyes cautiously and returned her gaze to King Cold.

"Well?" Cold questioned, "have you decided yet?"

Hitomi turned her head to look at her father, waiting expectantly for his response.

"We have" he replied, his voice flat as he rose to his feet and took a step forward.

"As you are well aware, we have treaties with both yourselves and the Saiyans. I think you would agree, that defying a treaty with one side would not make us a trustworthy ally for the other."

King Cold didn't say anything, as he tipped his head to the side slightly, resting his chin on a closed fist.

"Therefore, I'm sure you will agree that to chose one side over the other would be unreasonable. We are a species that stick to our word, and I will not defile that reputation."

King Cold narrowed his eyes for a few moments as Hitomi stared at him, her silver eyes wide. Finally he bowed his head forward, breathing a heavy breath from his nose as his lips curled upwards.

His shoulders shook slightly as he chuckled.

"Well... I can't say that I'm at all surprised... but you must understand what a difficult situation this puts us in" his face lost its humour and smoothed over into a far more serious visage.

He stepped forward, his hands out as he spoke "how do I know, what guarantee do _I_ have, that this isn't a lie That _you_ don't side with those apes the second I leave your plant. What will you give me to prove your loyalty?"

He smirked and glanced first at Kenta, then Hitomi, clasping his large hands together.

"Well...?"

Hitomi felt her mouth drop slightly. What was he talking about? What could they _give_ him to prove _anything_? Let alone prove they would keep their word?

"What did you have in mind?" Hitomi glanced at her father, this was the first time she had ever heard the emotion that was now in his voice... an emotion she couldn't identify.

"Well..." Cold started, "you have your heir" he nodded towards Kenta, "and you have your spare" he nodded towards Hitomi. "correct me if I'm wrong, but is it not customary for your kind to give the spare to their allies? For a union?"

Hitomi felt her breath catch in her throat as she stared, wide eyed at King Cold. She bit her lip as she tried desperately to stop shaking. _No. No, no, no, this can't be happening... it can't._ She turned to look at her father, and watched as his posture shifted his back straightening, and his fists clenching.

"My daughter is not an object. Cold. She cannot just be brought and sold" his fists were clenched, but the rest of him was still.

"I'm not suggesting I buy the girl Ryou" Cold stated matter of factly as he batted his hand towards Hitomi, "I'm simply pointing out one of your traditions. What a better demonstration of loyalty than to send one of the royal family, to join my own clan. I can assure you, she will not be harmed."

Hitomi could practically feel herself starting to hyperventilate as she stared at her balled fists, resting on her knees.

"Put it this way," King Cold said, his voice taking on a stern tone.

"If we cannot reach an agreement, I will have no alternative but to assume your loyalty lies with the apes." He leaned forward "and if that is the case... I will have no option but to destroy you along with them. What's it going to be King Ryou... do you want your children to get caught up in this war?

A quiet fell across the room. So silent, it was deafening. Hitomi felt her eyes burn as she stared at King Cold. She couldn't look at her father, she couldn't bring herself to look at his face... she knew Kenta was staring at her, but she dare not look at him either. She didn't think she could handle the hurt she knew would be on his face... it was obvious... they had no choice...

 **\- PAGE BREAK -**

Hitomi stood, arms by her side, staring at the front doors to her home. Tears streamed down her face as she waited for her brother. Her father, Ryou stood in front of her. He hadn't met her eyes, not since... since the agreement. A large part of her was glad, she felt like her heart broke when she saw Kenta... she didn't think she could handle looking both of them in the eye.

She sniffed, wiping her eyes as Kenta entered, eyes distant. Hitomi felt her chest grow tight and tears threaten to fall once again as she looked Kenta in the eyes, they looked dull. Dead. They'd lost the bright light they normally held to be replaced by a distant look. His face, she'd never seen such pain before, it felt like it was ripping her heart in two.

Kenta cleared the distance between them in one step, throwing his arms around her, pulling her close to him. Hitomi raised her shaky arms and wrapped them around her brother, closing her eyes tightly.

"I've packed your armour... its being put on the ship now..." Kenta whispered to her, "wear it all the time, I don't trust them..." he pushed her gently away from his body, holding her at arms length by her shoulders.

"If it comes to it... If it comes to it, activate the..."

"No Kenta."

Hitomi and Kenta both turned their gaze to their father.

"Even if she activates the Furemuai... she can't beat a whole ships worth of Icejin, and whatever else... you know what's happened to those who reveal the Furemuai. You must keep it hidden Hitomi. Only reveal it if you have no other options, do you understand?"

Hitomi didn't answer, causing her father to turn and look at her. She stared off to the side, avoiding his gaze. "Do you understand Hitomi?" he asked again.

She directed her eyes towards him, and nodded "yes father, I understand." she grimaced as she looked back at the floor. "Which one?" she asked, her voice barley audible.

"Which one what?" Ryou asked, still watching her closely.

"Which of the... which of his sons will I be joined to? To solidify the treaty?"

"I don't know Hitomi. Don't worry about that, it won't happen for a while. Nothing will be decided for some time. At the very least... not until this war is stabilised."

Hitomi nodded as her father rested a hand on her shoulder, watching her with a calculating gaze, he pulled her in close. Hitomi wrapped her arms tightly around him, returning the embrace for what really didn't feel like enough time before they broke apart at the arrival of a guard.

"My lord, the ship is loaded and ready to go"

Hitomi looked to the door and back at Kenta as he moved over to her, gripping her hand tightly. "Come on, lets go" he whispered, moving the both of them towards the door, where the ship waited for her outside.

 **\- PAGE BREAK -**

 **Well, this turned out to be a much shorted chapter than I thought it would. I'm having a bit of an internal debate as to which of the Cold's Hitomi has been promised to... it won't come in properly for a chapter or two, but I'm interested to know what peoples preference is?**

 **As always, feed back/constructive criticism is always welcome.**


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